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Pumpkins are definitely in season now and I have been roasting them up to make and freeze pumpkin puree for later. When I came across the idea of a pumpkin and black bean soup on gimme some oven I diverted some of my pumpkin puree from the freezer and into making the soup. I have enjoyed the sweet pumpkin and creamy black bean combo in several other dishes in the past so I knew that this soup would be a winner. This pumpkin and black bean soup is a pretty standard vegetable soup that is nice and easy and focuses on the pumpkin and black beans. The soup is seasoned with some texmex flavours including some smoky chipotle chili powder for some heat and some cumin and cilantro to round it out. I was looking for a lighter soup so I went with a vegetarian version but you could easily make this soup a little heartier by adding cubed cooked ham or bacon, both of which would also add a ton of flavour. One of the things that I like about soups like this is that you can easily control how thick or thin the soup is by controlling how much broth you use and how much you puree the soup. I made my soup nice and thick and I increased the amount of chili powder for some extra heat which went perfectly with the sweet pumpkin. I garnished the soup with some fresh chopped cilantro and chipotle toasted pumpkin seeds.

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, pumpkin, black beans, tomatoes and sherry and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and puree to the desired consistency.
6. Serve garnished with cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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I made the soup. Very good. I was surprised that I could not taste more pumpkin flavor. Maybe I will on the second day. I did use canned pumpkin. I liked the thickness. So comforting, but healthy, on an autumn day.

Kevin, I just made this soup (with canned pumpkin, however), and it it just DELICIOUS! I also just got myself an immersion blender, so this was my inaugural recipe. Thanks so much for the recipe, you're great!

I love the flavors and textures of this soup but it looks TERRIBLE when I make it. I used fresh pumpkin puree, vivid orange. Yet my soup looks like a bad case of Montezuma's revenge. I thought it was the black beans so the second time, I practically scrubbed the beans clean and used half the amount. Still my soup is this very unappetizing brown color. I just close my eyes and slurp but I wouldn't dare serve this to anyone else!Any ideas why I lose all that great pumpkin orange color?

I used can pumpkin and it wound up being a somewhat unappetizing color (brown) but the specks of black beans really made it look like it was full of spices - once they got passed the color, my kids ate it up!

Wow--I made this soup tonight with some fresh pumpkin puree; it was sooo good! It is a bit on the 'warm' side with a tablespoon of the chipotle chili powder--I will tweak this the next time so my spice wimp daughter will eat it.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.